Gently cradling Tailtiu, he walked through the nearby pasture, heading toward the place where he knew the congruence point with Faerie would be. He hadn’t felt a response from Aislinn, but his gut told him she would be waiting for him. Glancing down, he saw both of Tailtiu’s eyes were open, and she was silently staring up at him. She couldn’t talk, but he wondered what she was thinking.
“We’re almost there,” he told her. “You don’t have to worry. Once I get you back everything will be fine. Just hold on a little longer for me, all right?”
She closed her eyes slowly, then opened them again. He hoped it was a sign that she understood, but he couldn’t be sure. They still had a half a mile to go, and as they walked he mentally reviewed everything that had happened. He wanted to kick himself for his haste, but he still couldn’t see that he’d had a better alternative. If he had delayed, Tailtiu would almost certainly have died, but then again, his friends would probably be safe and sound.
Was it worth exchanging Rob’s life for one of the fae? Was it worth Tiny’s? And what about Janice’s horrible disfigurement? He couldn’t help but feel he’d made a terrible bargain with fate and his friends had paid the price for it.
As he pondered and poked at the past, like someone probing a sore tooth with their tongue, a thought came to him, the warehouse! He still had a big problem to consider in the near future, and if he couldn’t find a solution Tiny and Janice might pay a terrible cost. Will had planned to leave for his old home immediately after returning Tailtiu to Faerie, but now he knew he needed to return to Cerria first.
Chapter 26
There was no one at the congruence point, so Will crossed over, and the effect on Tailtiu was subtle but immediate. Her eyes opened again, watching him with more intensity. He couldn’t have said what it was exactly, but her body was already beginning to radiate a faint sense of vitality. He wished that Tiny and Janice’s problems were so easy to fix.
He laid her in the tall grass and sat down beside her to wait, though he felt a strong sense of urgency. Time wasn’t his friend. After something close to a quarter of an hour, there was a shimmer in the air, and his grandmother appeared. Will stared at her in surprise, for she had come from somewhere else, but not through the congruence point with his world.
What sort of magic was that? he wondered.
“You found her,” she said simply.
Will watched Aislinn carefully. “You seem surprised.”
She arched one brow. “Shouldn’t I be? A warehouse full of Drak’shar is a dangerous place. It seemed unlikely you would succeed.”
“You knew where she was?” he demanded, feeling his temper rise.
“What don’t I know, child? That is a much better question, and one I spend much of my time seeking to address.”
“Save the double-talk for someone else,” he said, spitting on the ground angrily. “You knew where she was and yet you left her to die?”
“You brought her back,” said Aislinn simply.
“I almost died. Two of my friends might still die.”
Aislinn gave him a sharp look. “Only one, child, don’t exaggerate.”
“You were watching the whole time? You were fine with me dying, even if it meant your own daughter would do the same?”
“Death is a gift, my grandson, one you have refused several times, and now, it appears you are refusing it on behalf of others. Are you sure you have the right?” She glanced down at her emaciated daughter. “Will she thank you for preserving her life?” Then she leveled her gaze at Will. “Will Janice thank you for it? And what of your lost friend, Rob? I’m sure he’s praying for it already.”
Will’s rapier appeared in his hand, and the edge was close to Aislinn’s throat before he realized what he was doing.
His grandmother’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Do it. Touch me but once with that iron and I will have won.”
“Not if I drag your remains into the mortal realm and leave them to rot,” he threatened.
“You understand nothing of me, despite everything I have said.” She gave a sigh of longsuffering. “Very well, I will show mercy this once and grant you a second lesson. Unprovoked violence will violate the accord. Strike me or put your weapon away. Choose which victory I will enjoy today.”
His fury was so great that the sword began to shake in his hand, but his mind continued to work. She wants me to kill her? Or does she want an excuse to kill me? Or is it the accord she wants destroyed? Would she really be happy with any of those results? Straightening up, he sent the sword back into the limnthal.
His grandmother seemed disappointed. “I suppose the game will have to continue then.” She snapped her fingers and Tailtiu levitated into the air, floating over to the fae lady. Then she turned her back and walked away. The two of them shimmered and vanished a moment later.
How the hell is she doing that? wondered Will. Irritated, he moved back to the congruence point and returned to his own world. The more time that passed, the more he was beginning to understand the goddamn cat’s disdain for the fae.
Returning through the pasture, he suddenly regretted letting the carriage driver leave. If he wanted to go back to the warehouse, he would have to walk on his own feet. Running was out of the question. Every muscle in his body was sore from his marathon sprint earlier, and that was without even considering the pain of the wounds that covered much of his body. All of it was minor, but it added up to a considerable burden.
It was almost an hour before he got to the warehouse. He half expected to find it on fire and surrounded by the Driven, but the area was still quiet and dark. He still had one spell prepared, Ethelgren’s Illumination, but he added a second copy and then a wind-wall spell. With three spells ready, he constructed a force-lance and kept it in his hand. Then he entered the building.
Nothing had changed since he had been there a few hours before. Adjusting his vision, he made a quick circuit of the main storage area. When he didn’t find anyone, he released the force-lance and created a simple light spell. Searching would be easier with normal eyesight, as writing often didn’t show up properly in heart-light and some other types of light.
There was a wide variety of goods stored in the building. Despite the foul things that had been living there, apparently Jorn Slidden was a relatively ordinary trader, or had been. Will wondered if they had turned him or if the man had simply been cooperating to protect his life or that of his family. Then again, the man might have been motivated by simple greed.
A cursory search failed to turn up what he was looking for, but that wasn’t surprising considering the size of the place. But would they store it out here with everything else? He decided that was unlikely. The stuff was too dangerous. He worked his way around the edge of the storage area, looking for a stack that was set far apart from the others. He found several, but they turned out to other things.